The BFI London Film Festival returned this month in full throttle after last year’s COVID-19 affected event. Once again it will accurately predict the films which will make the headlines in the next 12 months and I was intrigued to be invited to reflect on the festival’s offerings this time around, with particular reference for NLJ to legal related subjects. Of course, the depiction of crime and how the criminal justice system works has always provided rich pickings for filmmakers and dishes out no end of opportunities for suspense and drama.
Hinterland
Hinterland left an indelible effect upon my senses. Not only was it a truly suspenseful story, it was filmed as if every frame was a sumptuously crafted portrait. Based around the serial killing of German soldiers returning from the First World War after two years in a Russian POW camp, two characters stand out who could probably demand a TV series of their own. Perg, a returning prisoner and pre-war criminologist played by the enigmatic Murathan
